An apparatus is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,956 in which, above a well-defined part of an egg conveyor, in succession, alternately, sprayers and brushes are arranged. This succession starts and ends with a single spray portion. For the washing cycle used here, the washing liquid is supplied to the washing unit as a whole and used only once. The amount of washing liquid, mostly water and optionally water with additions used in such an apparatus, is enormous. In situations where large sorting machines are deployed, i.e. machines processing more than 100k eggs per hour, this means both a large burden to the water supply and huge costs for the user.
Further, in this technology, washers are utilized that operate according to the principle, or strongly resembling the principle, represented hereinafter in FIG. 1. This technology has in common with the one mentioned hereinabove that substantially one single large collecting reservoir is used as also known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,965, with, further, a partition. In both variants, the eggs are supplied in the usual manner and conveyed with a roller conveyor.
In FIG. 1, an apparatus is represented in which by a single sprayer unit, fresh washing liquid or washing fluid is supplied. In this set-up, upstream, three further units are used. Basically, all liquid or fluid is collected in the same large reservoir with an overflow edge after the first two units. After use of the fresh liquid, the liquid from the corresponding part of the reservoir is directly reused downstream. In the second part of the reservoir, the liquid is distributed over the two units and reused. At the upstream end of the reservoir, there is an overflow for discharging liquid having ended up there.
With such a type of washing apparatus, the washing result is not clear because of the manner the washing liquid is reused. Although the eggs farthest downstream are always washed with fresh liquid, the eggs in the preceding stages are sprayed with liquid already used, the degree of pollution of which can vary greatly. More particularly, the through-flow for freshening can be so poor that, stepwise, not mildly but highly polluted washing liquid is reused. This causes the final washing result to be greatly variable and unpredictable.